


Picture Perfect

by TwinGames7



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cute, Eventual Romance, F/M, Final Fantasy XV Spoilers, Fluff, Humor, Photography
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-11-18 03:31:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18112394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwinGames7/pseuds/TwinGames7
Summary: The cute and funny love story:You are part of the Kingsglaive and King Regis has asks you to accompany Noctis and is friends on their journey. The four men don't seem to happy about it, but maybe they'll learn to like you over time. This story is about Prompto. Don't forget to read my other fanfics about the other Chocobros. Also, I do not own any of this. All credit goes to Square Enix. for making such an incredible game.





	1. Chapter 1

"Your Highness!" Drautos, the captain of the Kingsglaive, calls out to Prince Noctis and his escorts while King Regis quickly walks down the front steps to his palace without us.

This is the land of Eos, and King Regis and Prince Noctis rule the city of Insomnia and our country, Lucis. Today, the prince is going to Altissia, a foreign land, to marry the Oracle, Lady Lunafreya. While he's gone, King Regis will be here signing a peace treaty with Niflheim, the enemy of Lucis. Noctis and Lunafreya's marriage will be the symbol of this coming peace.

However, everyone who works for King Regis knows the truth. Niflheim does not want a ceasefire. They just want to attack the Citadel from within after the King lowers our cities defenses. Why the King would allow this to happen, no one knows. The Kingsglaive, an elite group of soldiers, have been preparing for this attack for weeks now. I am one of those elite soldiers.

Originally, I was assigned to help escort Lady Lunafreya to King Regis to obtain the Ring of the Lucii. Then I'd help her escape safely. However, the King started to feel paranoid. He knew the empire would be hunting Noct, so they reassigned me to escort the prince. Prince Noctis and his three Crownsguards are the only ones who don't know about any of this. They believe the ceasefire is real.

"Y/N" I snap out of my train of thought and see King Regis motioning his hand for me to come forward. I look over at my captain nervously. He nods his head and I walk towards his Majesty with my arms behind my back my head held high with confidence. I stop in front of the Prince, place my right hand over my heart and bow.

"Your Highness," I say as politely as possible. I straighten my back and see all four men look at me with mild confusion.

I had never actually met the Prince before and I had no idea who the others were. His Highness has spiky black hair and blue eyes. I see he's wearing a Crownsguards outfit: A long black jacket over a black t-shirt littered with mini skulls that wrapped round his collar and spilled down the left side of his shirt. He also has black cropped jeans and black boots. He has a black motorcycle glovelet on his left hand.

"This is Y/N L/N. I've asked her to go with you boys to Altissia," King Regis explains. All of them look even more confused and unhappy except one. A cute and goofy young man with blond hair and bright blue eyes. He looked at me with interest and amazement. He seemed much happier to see me than the others.

"Why?" Prince Noctis asks, "I think the four of us will be fine on our own."

"I just want to make sure you get there." says his father. He gives Noctis a serious look, probably hoping it will keep him from arguing. Noctis rolls his eyes. He seems unhappy with this arrangement. I try to stay as professional as possible.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will not get in your way." He does not respond. One of the three men from before motions his head for me to come with him and the other two towards a beautiful, jet black roofless car, while the King and his son continue to talk. I walk towards the vehicle with my hands still behind me.

The man turns to face me and I'm shocked to see that he looked pretty professional for a Crownsguard. He wears a purple and black button up under a black suit jacket, black jeans, and dress shoes. He seemed pretty smart, but not much of a fighter. I wonder if he can really hold his own.

"Hello," he says. His voice catches me off guard. He has a very strong British accent that makes him seem even more mature than he already did. "I am Noctis' royal adviser, Ignis Scientia. I believe I caught your name is Y/N." He holds a gloved hand out to me. Well, now it makes sense why he looked so professional.

"Yes, nice to meet you, Ignis." I say as I shake his hand. His expression does not change as he shakes my hand and motions to the other two men.

"This is Noctis' friend, Prompto Argentum." He motions to the blond I saw before, standing next to him. He was a slender man with messy hair. I had to hold back a chuckle as I realized how similar it looked to a chocobo's butt. He had a cute freckly face as well. His black gloves, black t-shirt and sleeveless jacket made him look like a bit of a punk.

"H-hi! N-nice to meet you," he greeted shyly as he rubbed the back of his head and blushed profusely. His demeanor definitely didn't give off a punkish feel.

I smile which causes him to get more flustered, "It's nice to meet you too, Prompto,"

Ignis continued with introductions, "And that is Noctis' royal shield, Gladiolus Amicitia." I look over to see an even taller man with a large build leaning on the hood of the car with his arms crossed. He wears a black leather jacket with no shirt underneath. He had a small arm sleeve on his left wrist. Both his arms have tattoos on them.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Noctis walks up behind me looking rather annoyed by the situation. I open the left door of the back seat for him and I once again bow with my hand over my heart.

"Here you go, Your Highness."

"Just call me Noct, and drop that 'Your Highness' act." He steps into the car and closes the door himself. I feel heat rising to my cheeks in embarressment for upsetting the prince.

"Noct!" Prompto smacks him on the arm and leans over the car door to whisper to him. The energetic blonde stands back up and dances over to the front passenger seat like a child, "Don't mind him. He doesn't like it when you treat him like royalty."

"Hey, Glaive" Gladio's rough voice makes me jump a little, "you get in between me and Noct." I swallow the lump in my throat and hesitantly walk over to the right side of the vehicle. I'm normally very composed and fearless, but something about these guys makes me feel very intimidated and uncomfortable. I suppose I was expecting something... different?

I slide down to the middle seat and we head out. It's awkwardly silent for a long time until Gladio speaks up. I had expected him to start making small talk, but he just gets straight to the point.

"So, why would King Regis send a Glaive with us?" Gladio asks suspiciously. I knew the reason why but was authorized not to tell them. There's no doubt they'd stay here where it's not safe.

"I'm not sure." I lie and hope they won't notice the uneasiness in my voice. Noct scoffs.

"I guess Dad really doesn't trust me then. We're just going to Altissia."

"Yea. I don't think we really need a Glaive to come with us." Gladio concluded. I started feeling a bit uncomfortable. All of them seem to be unhappy with my presence.

"Don't be so rude," Ignis scolded.

"Yea! Iggy's right!" Prompto said before turning his head towards me, "Don't worry. I think you'll fit right in,"

I smiled sadly, "Thanks,"

This wasn't going to work out at all.


	2. Chapter 2

I pull off the jacket of my Glaive uniform and throw it in the back seat in frustration. I'm sitting on the rear of the Regalia, pouring sweat from the sweltering heat beating down on the five of us. I place my elbows on my knees and try to wipe the sweat from my face. I had tried to be as polite as possible, since I had just met these guys, but right now I wasn't in the mood to be nice.

I sigh in annoyance and throw my arms down. "None of you thought to check the engine before we left?" I asked rudely.

"How were we supposed to know the car would break down?" Noct responded in an annoyed tone.

"It's your car. I figured you would have noticed something wrong with it before." We sat in silence for a moment as Gladio attempted to hitch us a ride. We were all covered in sweat since we all wore nothing but black clothes and drove in a pitch-black car.

After a few cars drove by without stopping Gladio gave up.

"I think we can forget about hitching our way there" he leaned against the vehicle in defeat, "Thought people were friendly outside the city."

Ignis is sitting in the driver's seat with his head and arms resting on the steering wheel. "You can only count so far on the kindness of strangers."

Gladio stretched out his arms and began walking towards the back of the Regalia. "Guess we're gonna have to push her all the way."

I hop off the car and walk over the the side of the Regalia facing away from the road. Prompto is there sprawled out on the paved road as if he were about to die of heat. I nudge his leg with my foot, "Get up, Prompto."

"But I've already pushed myself to the brink of death," he gasped dramatically. Prompto was a pretty cowardly jokester, but it was kind of cute in a way. However, I was not in a good mood at the moment.

I grabbed one of his arms and pulled him up to a sitting position, "I said get up!" He seemed out of it at first, and then was suddenly startled by my touch. He quickly stood up and trudged to the back of the car. I placed my hands on the back of the car ready to push.

"H-hey. Why don't you switch with Ignis." Prompto stammered. I looked at Ignis and then back at Prompto with confusion.

Ignis sighs, "I am loath to make a woman push this heavy vehicle," he began stepping out of the car and held the door open.

I lifted my hands away from the burning metal hesitantly, "Uh, thanks but I'll be okay. Don't worry,"

"Please, I insist." I look over at Prompto who smiles shyly at me and then back at Ignis.

"Ok, thank you." I head for the driver seat and Ignis closes the door for me. I listen as the guys whisper behind me.

"Come on, she's a Glaive. She can handle pushing a car," Alright, not exactly polite, but whatever.

"But she's still a girl. We can't make her do that while we sit and relax," Prompto argued.

"Oh don't tell me, Prompto," Noct started.

"Shhhhh!"

All four of them began pushing the vehicle while I kept the car on the road. The whole way to Hammerhead all I could think about is how rude these guys have been to me. Well, all of them except Prompto that is, but even he seemed... afraid of me. They all seemed so sure that after we reach Altissia they would never have to see me again, but I know we are going to be stuck together for weeks, maybe even months. Maybe I should have told King Regis no. Then some other Glaive would be in my place dealing with their nonsense instead of me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we reached Hammerhead, we tried to relax and wait for Cid to come and take care of the Regalia. Cid was an old friend of King Regis, so his Majesty asked us to meet him in Hammerhead before heading to the boat in Galdin Quay. Now that the Regalia broke down we didn't have much of a choice anyway.

"Hey! Y'all kept the girl waitin'!" I turn toward the voice and find a young woman in a very skimpy mechanic outfit walking in our direction.

"There's no way she fixes cars in that." I thought. I noticed Prompto giving her the same interested look he had given me in front of the Citadel. I looked at him in slight shock. I thought he was friendly, but is he just desperately trying to impress me because I'm a girl? This angered me slightly. It's not like I had an instant crush on Prompto or anything, but like any other girl it angered me that this woman had his attention. Especially given her figure.

I just lay my head back and start ignoring the people around me. I sat there wishing I was anywhere but here with these guys. Although I am a tough and fearless elite soldier, I'm still human. I still have emotions, and these boys have made me feel every negative emotion possible. It hasn't even been a full 24 hours and I'm already unhappy.

"Roll her in while I'm still young!" Cid came out from the garage to look at the Regalia. I immediately exit the car so that I'm not in his way. After taking a look at it, Cid rudely asked us to roll the vehicle inside the garage so that he could fix it. Was everyone personally associated with the royal family like this? King Regis was always so kind though. After we got the vehicle in the garage, Cindy gave us a map of Lucis.

All of us began looking around the outpost until Prompto's words stopped me in my tracks, "What's a gil?" he asked.

I turn around to face them and put my hands on my hips, "Hold on a sec, you have money, don't you?" The look on their faces and their silence told me no. "How are we supposed to pay for the repair if we don't have any money?"

"Guess will just have to talk to Cindy!" Prompto said excitedly. I rolled my eyes, jealousy filling me once more, as I followed the boys to Cindy.

"She ain't gonna be ready for a while. Y'all need somethin'?"

"We're strapped for cash," said Gladio, "anyway we could earn a little?"

"Oh, I get it. This must be what pawpaw meant when he said he was gonna teach you guys a lesson." Cindy then offered to pay for us as long as we took care of some pest that have been causing trouble around Hammerhead.

Maybe I could show these guys what I'm really made of. I didn't train all my life as a member of the Crownsguard and then became a Glaive just so someone could call me weak.

Cindy informed us that the pest causing trouble were Reapertails. They are giant scorpion like creatures. We head out into the vast desert in search of the monsters. After about an hour we found a group of Reapertails.

We all duck behind a rock and watch the scorpion like creatures.

"These must be the pests Cindy was talking about." Ignis whispered.

"Well go on, Glaive." Gladio challenged.

I look over at him, raising an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Show us what you're made of," he said.

I sigh and observe my enemies closely. This is just child's play.

"Fine."

I reached my hand out to my side and summoned a sword. I looked around for a vantage point and then threw my weapon unto some ruins. The ruins looked to be a large pillar of some kind. In a fraction of a second I was standing where I had thrown my blade. I could hear Prompto gasp in amazement. The sound made me chuckle. I summon a handgun and look through a satchel on my thigh for a certain stash of bullets. I look up to an examine the enemies and deduce that they must be weak to ice. I insert a round into the gun and begin firing off ice bullets at each scorpion. I manage to hit them all in their poisonous tails, causing them to freeze and then the poison in their tails to spill over them. I then warp back down to the ground as Prompto and the others jog towards me.

"How the heck did you do that?!" Prompto yelled.

I smiled at him for a second, "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You warped! I thought only Noct and the King could do that."

I arch my eyebrow and look at him in disbelief, "You mean to tell me you three are working to join the Kingsglaive and yet you don't know anything about being a Glaive?"

"Of course we knew Glaives can warp." Ignis assures.

"Prompto is the only one who doesn't." Gladio said as he ruffled the blond's hair. Prompto looked at the ground with a small amount of shame and embarrassment.

I let out a sigh and chuckle. I pat Prompto on his shoulder and explain, "The King uses the Crystal that was given to Lucis so that Crownsguards and Glaives can sort of 'borrow' his power. Crownsguards can only summon weapons, but Glaives can warp and use magic."

"So I'll be able to warp too someday?!" He asked like an excited child, "Wait a sec, how come you don't use magic Noct? I've always seen you use magic flasks like us."

Noct shrugged, "I just choose not to."

"Why?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Guess I prefer to do things the hard way." He answered smugly.

We continue to search the desert for more Reapertails, making sure to get rid of every single one. The others help me with the rest instead of watching me. I watched each of them though, curious as to what weapons they used. Ignis uses daggers and a polearm. Gladio uses a greatsword and shield. And Prompto uses guns and machines.

After a while Noct received a call on his cellphone.

"Hello?"

"..." I can just barely make out a womans voice, but I can't hear what exactly she's saying.

"Actually, we just finished."

"..."

"Old shack?" Noct looks around and stops when he spots a building in the distance. "Ah, got it. We'll take a look."

"Who was that?" I ask as he hangs up the phone.

"Cindy. Said she needs us to find some 'Dave' guy." I wonder when he had given her his number.

"He went missing?" Gladio asks with a worried tone. It seemed strange coming from him.

"Not 'missing'. Said he's held up in that shack." We all make our way to the old building. I wonder why Dave couldn't make it back to Hammerhead on his own. Maybe he was badly injured, or maybe all the Reapertails kept him from leaving.

When we get to the old wooden building it's empty. "Where could he be?" I asked.

"Let us search for clues." Ignis suggested. We look around for a while, but there's not much to see besides dust and old furniture. I look over at Noct and see him looking down at a piece of paper left on a table.

"What's that?" I asked walking towards him.

"Some kind of report. Something about a dangerous creature."

"Let's find Dave quickly then. Before that thing finds him first." We head outside and take a look at our surroundings wondering where Dave could be.

"Look," we follow Prompto's gaze and find an even smaller shack not far from where we are standing, "Maybe that's the shack Cindy meant."

I see something moving in front of the shack and move closer to get a better look at it. "There's a bunch of Sabertusks guarding it." The others stand by my side, watching the group of beasts.

"No problem. Let's do this." Prompto loads his gun and begins walking towards the enemy.

Ignis pulls him back by his shirt collar, "We should come up with a strategy first." We're all silent for a moment. I look over at Noct with his arms crossed.

"Why don't we use our warping ability together to catch them off guard," he looks at me as though trying to analyze me.

"And while they're distracted us three will finish the job," Gladio finishes.

I nod, "That's right"

"You're a genius, Y/N!" Prompto whispered. This compliment makes me smile to myself. Cindy may have boobs, but I got brains.

We all look over at Noctis, waiting for him to agree to the plan. He seems hesitant at first. He sighs, "Alright, let's do it."

We both summon our swords and wait for an opening. Once we're ready we both aim for the same enemy. Our double warp strike instantly kills the beast. The rest of them jump back in shock and then quickly surround us once they realize what's happening. Before they can pounce Noct and I point warp onto the shack. The Sabertusks circle around the building jumping every so often, hoping they can catch us and drag us down. Suddenly I see a magic flask flying towards them. There is a small explosion of flames. Some of them die in mere seconds while others roll around trying to put out the flames. The three boys then run in to finish off the remaining beasts.

"That wasn't so bad," Noct says as we hop back down, "I could get use to working with you." I didn't know how to respond. Maybe I was wrong about these guys.

"Who's out there?" Before I come up with a response the door of the shack opens behind us. A man slowly limps outside and leans against the doorway.

"You're Dave, right? Been looking for you." Gladio said.

Dave explains to us what happened. He tried to take down a dangerous animal out here, but then he sprained his ankle while being chased by that pack of Sabertusk and has been hiding in this shack.

"Y'all don't look much like hunters, but whaddaya say? Put that puppy to rest for me?"

"Sounds too dangerous to be let alone. Tell us where to go." Ignis answers.

Dave tells us where he last saw the monster and Noct immediately heads in the direction Dave specifies.

"Noct," Ignis calls, "It's getting dark out. It would be wise to rest up before we set out."

Noct thinks for a moment. I hadn't even realized the sun beginning to set. "Alright. Where will we stay?"

"Well, according to the map there should be a haven nearby." Ignis leads us to the campsite with the map. The boys talk about who will do what to help set camp. Of course, they don't include me.

"So," I said awkwardly attempting to slide into the conversation, "What do you guys want me to do?"

"Actually," Gladio answers, "before we set up I think we should train first."

Prompto whines, "Do we have to?"

"I just want to see the Glaive in action."

"First of all, stop calling me Glaive. It's Y/N. And didn't we already establish my skills earlier with those Reapertails?"

"That was child's play. You'd have more of a challenge fighting one of us. So, who will you train with, Y/N."

I put my hands on my hips and look at each boy carefully. When I reach Prompto I stop. I was curious as to how skilled he was with a firearm. He smiles brightly and starts jumping around like he had been all day, "Alright. Let's do this!"


	3. Chapter 3

I had had my doubts that Prompto had any skill in battle. He seemed to scared and whimpy, but also too kind to hurt another soul. With my ability to warp and use magic I figured he wouldn't stand a chance. However, it never occurred to me that I never fought against someone with a gun before. He was very quick. He would unload an entire magazine and then reload before I could do anything else. I just sat there holding up a magic shield as he fired. Using my magic was sort of tiring me out mentally, but I was more or less fine. It was just frustrating that I had no window of opportunity.

Then it happened. In an attempt to reload the empty magazine slipped through his fingers. I quickly warped as he went to pick it up, hoping I could get the drop on him without him realizing where I was. Sure enough after he reloaded he looked around for me in a panic. I took my chances and tried to warpstrike, but before I could even get halfway he summoned his machine and shot a gravisphere into the air. His tactic was to pull me from where ever I was hiding. It worked. I was instantly sucked into the sphere and couldn't move. He had an opportunity to shoot, but he never did. 

Then once the sphere lost its strength I fell to the ground. Before I could hit it, however, Prompto rushed and grabbed me. His back hit the ground and we rolled for awhile. Before I could realize and understand the situation he had me pinned down with a gun millimeters from my face. I just stared down the barrel with wide eyes. I looked up and he seemed serious for once, almost angry. It was actually kind of scary to see him this way. His serious expression was then quickly replaced with a look of regret, almost like he hadn't realized what he was doing.

He unsummoned his weapon and just looked at me with embarrassment, "Oh geez. I-I'm so-"

I quick flipped him onto his back and straddled him. I summoned my sword and stabbed it into the ground by his head and held back a laugh. The fear in his eyes was priceless, "Don't drop your guard down, Prompto. Even a woman can easily overpower you,"

His face turned bright red and he nodded, "Yes ma'am." I unsummomed my weapon as I heard the other boys start to laugh. I had completely forgotten they were watching us.

"Wow, I never expected to see that," Gladio teased.

I stood up and held out a hand to Prompto while keeping my eyes on Gladio, "Never expected what?"

"Oh, nothing," Noct said suspiciously as he walked up to Prompto. He then not so quietly whispered, "You sure you can handle such a dominate girl, Prompto?"

Prompto jumped back in shock, "Whoa, dude! Get your head out of the gutter, alright?" For the next hour the other boys took turns fighting each other while Prompto and I sat out and watched. We didn't acknowledge each other much, just focused on the fighting.

Afterwards, I helped Gladio pitch the tent. Noct and Prompto set out camping chairs, and Ignis made some Garden Curry for dinner. His cooking was absolutely amazing. I don't think I'll ever taste anything half as good as this.

They talked about a bunch of different things around the glow of the fire that night. I contributed to some of the conversation, but I was still nervous to talk to or be around them.

As the night grew longer, sleep began to take over all of us. Prompto stretches and yawns in his chair.

"I think it's time we hit the hay." He said.

We all stand up from our chairs and after putting out the fire the four men start climbing into the one tent one by one. Prompto was about to be the last one in, but then he looked back at me awkwardly standing by the burnt logs. He sauntered over to me, keeping his eyes glued to the floor, "Uh, sooooooooo. Kinda awkward sleeping in a tent with four guys, huh?"

"Yea..."

"Oh! I know! Hold on," he danced over to the tent and disappeared inside. I waited for a while until he came back with some blankets, "It's not too chilly. We could sleep out here,"

"We?" I questioned as he laid out the blankets.

He looked embarrassed again, "Well... I just..." He sighed, "I'd feel bad for making you sleep out here alone." His voice had a hint of sadness in it. He quickly brought his tone back up before continuing, "Besides if any daemons come out I can protect you,"

I smiled, "You're really sweet, Prompto."

He smiled brightly and then laid down on one of the blankets, "Th-thanks. We should get some sleep,"

I noticed he had laid out two blankets a little far apart. I felt happy that he respected my personal space. He had also brought out extra for warmth, "Why do you have so many blankets?" I asked as I sat down.

"I like blankets," he answered simply before covering himself and giving me his back, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I could feel myself being pulled out of my slumber. I was still so tired, so I refused to open my eyes. I just hide my face with my blanket as the sunrise slipped under my eyelids and burned my sleepy eyes. As I slowly started waking up I heard a strange snapping sound. The sound would fill the air and then it would fall silent. Then after a few seconds there would be another snap. Curious, I finally decided to open my eyes and sat up. I flinched as the sun burned my eyes. When my vision started to clear I was able to make out a figure at the edge of the haven.

I robbed my eyes and blinked a few times and finally saw that it was Prompto looking down at a camera. He was playing around with some of the buttons. He looked very serious, his eyebrows knitted together with focus. Just like when we were training yesterday. Seeing him this way made him seem mysterious. It was as if his fun loving nature was an act or something. How can someone so sweet and funny, be so serious at the same time?

I stood up and stretched, but he didn't notice. He was too focused. I walked towards him as he lifted the camera up to his face. He held his hand around the lens and began twisting it, like he was adjusting it.

"Morning," I greeted. He jumped at the sound of my voice and snapped a picture by accident.

He turned towards me and held a hand to his chest, "Ugh your killing me! Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something!" He shouted.

I just giggled at his reaction, "Sorry. I didn't mean to scary you," I said as I paced in front of him.

He looked at me for a moment then held out his hand, "Wait! Don't move,"

"What?"

He walked up to me and turned my body so I was facing slightly away from him, "You just gave me the perfect photo op! Alright stand here. Hold your head like this," he directed me and moved me around like I was a model or something. He then took a step back to admire me, "Perfect!" He held his camera to his face and began playing with buttons again. He continues to direct me as he started taking pictures, telling me to look in certain directions away from the camera.

After getting a few photos he held the camera out to me, "You look amazing, Y/N!" He flipped through the pictures and I just stared in amazement. There were pictures of me smiling shyly to myself. Pictures of me looking off into the distance. In each photo it looked as if the light of the sun was caressing my face. I was amazed. I had only just woken up, but he still managed to capture my beauty.

"Wow, you have a real talent, Prompto,"

He laughed anxiously, "You think so?"

"Of course," I held out my hand, "May I?" 

He smiled and handed me the camera. I started flipping through his pictures and was impressed. They were mostly pictures of beautiful scenery and adorable animals. "Wow," I whispered. I eventually handed the camera back and he looked around for more photo ops.

"Do you always get up this early to take pictures?" I asked.

"Hmm, no not really. I just couldn't go back to sleep today," he lowered his camera and stared down at it, "I thought the sunrise was nice," he said quietly. He looked back up at me, that serious look painting his face once again, "but you made it look even better." Heat rose to my face after he said that. He was definitely a hopeless romantic, but if he kept this up I'd end up falling for it.

It wasn't long after that when Ignis woke up. He started on breakfast as Prompto and I fought with the other two to get up. After eating and cleaning up camp we went in search of the dangerous animal Dave had mentioned yesterday. We fought a few more enemies along the way, and we all worked together more than we had before. I guess I really proved my worth to them when I fought Prompto. Eventually, we found a large Dualhorn like creature, but it looked a lot more aggressive. It was tough at first, but we took it down. Not long after that, Cindy called to tell us the Regalia was fixed.

We quickly made our way back to Hammerhead. Prompto seemed the most excited about seeing Cindy again. This little bastard was seriously gonna play with my emotions.

When we got back, we saw she had done more than just fixed the car. She had polished the whole thing to perfection. She said Dave got back last night and his ankle would be just fine. We thanked her for the trouble and then got ready to head for Galdin Quay. The others were excited to get to Altissia, but I remembered what King Regis had told me before yesterday.

I wondered what would really happen there. Would Noct still marry Lady Lunafreya? Would the empire come and execute Noct and the rest of us? And what if they found out that I knew the truth of the ceasefire? Would they still accept me?


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, I see the sea!" Prompto yells. As we drive down the twisted road we marvel at the beautiful view of the ocean.

"I 'sea' it, too!" Noct says. As we continue to drive a small gazebo like structure comes into view.

"That's Galdin Quay" Ignis informs.

"Kinda wanna go for a dip" Gladio says as he stands up in the Regalia for a better look.

As I gaze upon Galdin I see something strange in the distance. It looks like two enormous horns poking out of the water in the distance.

"What's that behind it?" I ask.

"That a big mountain?" Noct pitches in.

Ignis answers in a dull tone, as if to show how much smarter he is, "No, it's an island."

Prompto looks back at me, "Nobody goes to Galdin for an island," he says, "they go to kick back and get messages."

"And savor the sea food," Ignis adds, "it's famously delicious."

Once we reach the parking lot and get out of the car, Prompto starts running around to take photos. Gladio, Prompto, and Noct really wanted to just hang out and relax for a bit, but Ignis said there was no time.

We all walked along the dock towards the restaurant and hotel that sits on the water. There should be a boat in the back that will take us to Altissia.

Once we reach the restaurant an employee greets us, "Welcome to Galdin Quay!" We all stop in our tracks to see a very strange man walking towards us. He looks like he's in a very large, dark robe with many layers underneath. He wears a hat of a similar color on top of his dark reddish-purple locks.

"I'm afraid your out of luck" he said in a quiet and ominous voice.

"Are we?" Noct responded snobbishly. For a second, he really sounded like a stuck-up prince. The man looked back and gestured to where the boats should be.

"The boats bring you here..."

"And?" I ask crossing my arms. How did he even know we were here for the boats?

"Well, they'll not take you forth."

"So, what's your story?" Gladio asks.

"I'm an impatient traveler," the man said as he walked right through us, "ready to turn ship." He stopped and stood there, "the ceasefire getting us nowhere," he looked down at the palm of his hand. He seemed creepy and suspicious, and he looks like he never stopped smiling a devilish grin.

He then suddenly turned to flick a silver coin at Noct's face. Gladio managed to catch it just in time, and laid out his palm for all of us to see.

"What's this? Some kind of souvenir?" He asked.

"Consider it your allowance" the man answered.

Gladio seemed fed up with him. He walked closer, sizing him up, "Oh yea? And who's allowing us?"

The man threw up his arms slightly. He seemed unfazed by Gladio, "A man of no consequence." We watched as he walked towards the beach, never looking back at us.

"Well that was weird." I said.

"Whatever, let's just pretend that didn't happen." Noct said, still pretty weirded out.

"You think he was serious about the port closing?" Prompto asked.

Ignis started heading for the docks, "I'm skeptical, but I won't discount the possibility."

When we reached the docks, it was empty.

"Aw man. Not a ship in sight. What gives?" Prompto said in a disappointed tone. I looked back at Ignis to see him reading what appeared to be a port schedule painted on a big wooden board. There were no boat schedules, however, just the words "OUT OF ORDER" printed in bold.

"'Out of order' indeed." He said.

"According to my sources, the empire giving strict orders not to let any vessels leave the docks of Altissia." We all look down to see a skinny man sitting on a bench next to us. "Real shame if you were late to your own wedding- right, Prince Noctis?" He said proudly, as if he figured out some huge secret, "Name's Dino, by the way. Pleasure."

He continued by explaining he was a reporter, and that he would expose Noct unless we did what he asked. We were all reluctant at first. We hadn't exactly tried to keep our identities a secret but being exposed by the press would cause problems.

He marked a location on the map, not far from Galdin, and requested that we find a red gemstone somewhere in that area.

"And why should we do this for you?" I asked, the others looked slightly worried that I would accidentally anger him, "Sure, being exposed would be bad, but do you really think we'll do this for a stranger without compensation?"

"I figured you'd say something like that. Do this and I'll get you a ship," he said, "don't though, and the papers will run ya outta town, capice?" We walked back to the parking lot so we can grab it and leave as soon as possible.

When we got close to the area, the road was at the bottom of a mini canyon. We could see a ramp like structure leading from the road to the top of the cliff like rocks.

"Do we have to walk?" Prompto whined as we got out of the car.

"You see a better way?" Gladio asked.

We climbed up and walked towards the location on our map. We began walking through a small alcove when Prompto frozen in horror.

"Oh. Em. Gee," we looked to see a giant black bird sleeping in front of us. Ignis motioned all of us to crouch and keep quiet. He watched the bird carefully then motioned us to follow him.

Prompto began to panic, "We're supposed to get near that thing?!" He whispered.

"Pipe down before you wake up" Gladio demanded through his teeth. We slowly crawled around the bird to the other side of it. We found a large rock with the gemstones trapped inside.

"How the heck are we supposed do this?" I whispered. Noct searched the large chunk of rock and found a loose gemstone.

"Got it" we made our way back carefully, but half way through the large bird began to move. We all frozen and stared up at it in disbelief. The creature stood up and spread out its wings, ready to charge.

"Look out!" Ignis yelled. I stayed frozen in shock until someone grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me away from the monster. 

"Come on!" Prompto yelled. I quickly snapped out of it and ran with Prompto to the alcove. I see the other three motioning for us to hurry up. After finally reaching safety Prompto let go of me. I placed my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath.

I stand up straight, still out of breath, "Thank you, Prompto."

His cheeks are so red they almost look burnt. I can't tell if it's from embarrassment or from the rush of adrenaline. Perhaps it's a mixture of both, "No problem," he breathes out.

We quickly climbed back down to the Regalia and made our way back to Dino. When we gave him the stone he claimed to be an amateur jeweler as well, and he needed this gemstone as soon as possible. Blackmailing us was all he could do to get it.

Although he had promised us a ship, it wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow morning, so we thought we would just relax here for the rest of the day. Noct, Prompto, and Gladio decided they wanted to go swimming first.

"Iggy. Aren't you coming?" Prompto asked.

"I'm not particularly fond of wondering around in public in nothing but a pair of swim trunks." Ignis answered. He looked at me, "Am I safe in assuming you'd like separate rooms?" He asked. I nodded and he went to pay for two rooms. One for me and one for the four of them.

After grabbing our bathing suites from the car, we changed in the caravan nearby one by one. When Prompto stepped out of the caravan in his swim trunks I was slightly taken aback. He had more muscle than I was expecting. Not quite as much as Gladio, but he was definitely defined. I noticed him blush slightly as I stared. I shook my head, trying not to be rude and stepped inside to change.

I change into my black bikini. The top was tied in the front by two strings that dangled down on my torso. The bottoms also had strings hanging from the sides. I quickly head over to the restroom inside and look at myself in the mirror. I mess with my H/C hair a little bit before questioning what I was doing. I stopped immediately and then stepped out of the caravan. The three boys waited for me outside. Noct does a double take while Gladio just stares, just like I did to Prompto earlier. I have a pretty nice body, so I don't really blame them. Prompto's jaw hits the floor. Seeing him like this makes me chuckle.

The rest of our day was pretty uneventful. We played in the water for a while, splashing each other and giggling loudly. Prompto took more photos as always and the night ended with a wonderful dinner at the restaurant. 

Although we're all having fun I can't help be feel nervous the whole time. The signing is today... Insomnia is probably being attacked right now. I try to put on a fake smile and pretend there's nothing wrong. But my mind won't stop wandering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up the next morning to the alarm Ignis had set on my alarm clock. I could barely get any rest last night. All I could do was worry about the ceasefire. The war may be well over now and I hope Insomnia won. I quickly got dressed and went through the door that joined our two rooms. The boys looked at me without saying anything, probably too tired to talk. Everyone was awake and here except Ignis.

"Iggy?" I asked.

"Should be back any minute." Gladio answered. As he finished his sentence, Ignis entered the room with a look of sorrow on his face.

I choked. No one else knew why he looked so sullen, but I did. There was nothing else it could be. He stared at Noct for a while, probably trying to find the right words.

"What's that look for?" He asked. Ignis sighed and weakly handed a newspaper to Gladio.

"It's in all the papers," he said glumly as he dropped his hand to his side.

"What is it?" Noct asked sounding more concerned. The silence lasted an eternity. I couldn't hold my breath any longer. I wanted to hear that Insomnia won. But the next words that would leave Prompto's mouth as he read over Gladio's shoulder would fill me with despair and regret.

"Insomnia... Falls"


	5. Chapter 5

"This your idea of a joke?" Noct yelled.

"I need you to calm down so I can explain." Ignis said. Noct stomp towards him, getting up in his face.

"I'm as calm as I'm gonna get!"

Ignis sighed, "There was an attack. The imperial army has taken the Crown City."

I turned away from all of them and looked out the glass wall that overlooked the ocean. I didn't want to see any of their faces right now. My lungs began to constrict the longer I held in my breath. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't breathe. My mind was full of questions. Did the King make it out alive? Did he escape in time? What good is a Glaive without a King to protect?

Gladio began reading the article which claimed that the King did not survive. I didn't want to believe that though. Maybe Niflheim just wants everyone to think he's dead. I already knew Lunafreya would be in Insomnia, since I was originally going to be the one to help her escape after she got the Ring from King Regis. Maybe whoever took my place helped him escape too. Noct just couldn't understand what was happening. In the time I've spent with him I realized he really wanted to marry Luna. He didn't really show it, but it was obvious how thrilled he was about the ceasefire. But now that was all crumbling before his very eyes.

"We had no way of knowing," Ignis said, but he was wrong. They did have a way of knowing. If I had just said something, anything, maybe we all could have done something. The silence in the room felt deadly. I continued to look out the window, wanting to disappear before they could ask me anything.

"Y/N," Ignis' voice made my body run cold. I did not look back at him or respond. When he realized I would not speak he continued, "did you know anything about this?" I was still frozen in place. The words would not get past the lump in my throat and my eyes began to burn. I forced out a shaky breath and slowly turned around. I looked at each of their faces staring down on my intensely.

My voice trembled as I spoke, "Y-yes... I did," They all looked shocked and angry. Noct stood up and walked towards me.

"You... Why didn't say anything?!" He yelled.

My jaw fell slightly, "Noct, I" I stopped and sighed. What could I possibly say? What could possibly make this all okay again? I decided to just tell them everything that King Regis told me, "The ceasefire was a lie. Niflheim used it as a pretense so that they could attack the Citadel from the inside. His Majesty already knew, right away, but he didn't want to just sit around and do nothing. He did not send you four out to Altissia so that Noct could marry Lady Lunafreya. He wanted Noct to escape days before the signing and stay safe." It was quiet. None of them knew what to say.

Noct backed away from me. His head shook slightly as if to deny what he heard, "Why?" Noct whimpered, "Why did he lie to me?"

I took a deep breath and continued, "He knew you wouldn't leave his side if he told you."

Gladio sighed, "Well then. What are we supposed to do?" He asked me.

I shook my head, "He didn't say. All he told me was that he was becoming more and more afraid of Noctis' safety. He knew the imperial army would come looking for you all, so he wanted to send another Crownsguard with you guys. However, they were all assigned to escort civilians out of Insomnia. The King felt that the safety of his people was more important than his own, so... he asked Captain Drautos to choose one of the best in the Kingsglaive to accompany you all."

No one said a word. I turned back and looked far beyond the ocean. I knew I would have to tell them eventually, but I knew it would be hard for them to understand. I then heard Gladio speak up, "What else do we know?" I assumed he was referring to everyone now. I shook my head slightly to signify that I was finished. "Well, let's go back and see how bad the damage is." We all faced Gladio, unsure of what to say.

"It might not be safe for us there," Ignis warned.

"Well it might not be safe for us here," Prompto countered. We all looked at Noct.

"Turn back?" Gladio asked.

He hesitated, "Yea."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Up ahead!" Prompto yelled. Ignis slammed the brakes just in time. The road to Insomnia was blocked by cars and Imperial Soldiers.

"Looks like they've set up an inspection point," Ignis said.

"If the road ahead's blocked then we'll find another way," Gladio said. Ignis looked around and saw a hidden dirt path leading to the side of the gate.  
We drove for a while until the road ended. We stepped out in to the rain and we hadn't walked long before finding a group of soldiers blocking our path.

"It's the Magitek Infantry," Ignis explained as we hid behind a pile of building blocks.

"The robots?" Gladio asked.

"Mass produced, humanoid weapons of warfare to be more precise."

"Doesn't look like they'll be signing that peace treaty." Prompto commented. Noctis' face was filled with anger. He summoned his blade and stared at the robots carefully.

"You wanna take 'em out?" Gladio asked.

"Oh yea. Those scrapheaps will wish they had a peace treaty to protect them!"

I summoned a polearm and we all ran in to attack. After taking out of the robots I turned to see one with a large axe running towards me, ready to swing. I held out my hands to use my magic barrier, but nothing happened.

"Wha-" I looked down at my hands and then tried again and again to use my magic. Nothing, "My magic. It's not working!" The soldier was in front of me now, lifting up its weapon to bring it down on my head. I flinched and waited for impact. The I heard a loud gunshot and the sound of something zipping past my head. I look up and see the imperial fall back with a bullet wound in the head. I turn around to find Prompto hold up his gun in my direction. That had been the last one for now.

"What do you mean your magic isn't working?" Gladio asked.

"I-I don't know. I tried to use a barrier, but it wouldn't work." I began trying to use my magic again. I tried fire spells, healing spells, barriers, but nothing worked.

"Could it be the King-" Ignis started. There were tears in my eyes from the frustration and sadness overwhelming me.

"No!" I yelled. Ignis looked taken aback by my outburst, "I refuse to believe the King is dead!" I don't care if it makes sense. The King is still alive in my heart. We continued onward, fighting through robots on the way. I had no choice but to use my regular attacks and try to dodge on my own. It wasn't so bad, although I had been so used to using barriers. Once we reached a vantage point over looking Insomnia we could see small clouds of smoke just barely disappearing from last night's attack. We all stared in disbelief as Prompto pulled up a radio broadcast on his phone. The news pronounced King Regis, Lady Lunafreya, and Prince Noctis dead. Noct then pulled out his phone to call Cor, the best in the Crownsguard.

"H-Hello? Cor?"

"..."

"The hell's going on?" He asked, trembling.

"..."

"Outside the city. With no way back in."

"..."

"Makes sense?" Noct clenched his fist and began yelling, "Are you serious? What about any of this makes sense?! The news just told me I'm dead! Along with my father and Luna!"

"..."

Noctis scoffed.

"..."

He now looked back at the city in shock. He looked like he was choking.

"..."

There was a long silence. All of us were watching him now, "Right." Noct hung up the phone and stared at his beloved city. When the silence became unbearable Ignis spoke.

"What did the marshal... have to say?"

Noct tried to force the words to come out, "Said he'd be in Hammerhead," Then Gladio asked the question that I have been asking myself this whole time. A question I knew Cor would have an answer to.

"And the King?"

Noctis' never ending silence answered our question.


	6. Chapter 6

There is a legend that a magic Crystal was brought down to the Lucian family by a star. One day our star would be shrouded in darkness and the one True King, anointed by the Crystal, would need to obtain the power of king's past, the stone of the Six, and the Ring of the Lucii in order to banish the darkness. The King would be more powerful than any god and he would have the power to bring peace to Eos. Noctis was anointed as the one True King when he was young. Now Niflheim wanted to steal and use the power of the Crystal themselves, and that's exactly what they did. However, the ring had yet to be found.

It had been a long day. We met some of the Crownsguard who survived the attack, found out Gladio's sister was alive and headed to safety, and we searched two royal tombs so that Noctis could obtain the power of his forebearers. Afterwards, Cor informed us that Niflheim blockaded the only way to Duscae, which would keep us from finding the rest of the royal tombs. It was too late in the night to deal with it now, so we found a haven and set up camp. Three of the boys sat around the fire in silence, sorrow, and anger while Ignis read is notebook. As he began taking out ingredients I decided to finally speak for the first time since this morning.

"Don't make any for me. I'm not hungry." He said nothing, only looked at me. His expression was hard to read.

I walked to the farthest edge of the haven and sat down, watching a group of Sabertusks playing in the far distance. Maybe if I went in completely unprepared this would all be over. I wonder, would the others even come save me if I did that right now? Or would they leave me to die. I had nothing left. No family. No King. No home. No nothing. I didn't have the power of Kings to help me fight anymore. I sat there limply, now just staring into empty space. My eyes burned with tears. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I held in a breath to keep quiet as tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn't want the others to hear me. The salty water streaming down my face being dried by the cold breeze caused my face to feel like it was on fire. Every so often a quiet sob escaped my lips and my shoulders would shake violently.

"Hey..." I heard Prompto walking towards me. Normally I would have instantly hid my tears, but after crying and feeling hopeless for what felt like hours, I didn't care anymore. He plopped down beside me and sighed, "You okay?" I didn't respond. I bite my trembling lip and lightly shake my head.

Prompto just sat there, not really saying much at first, "I... I know I'm kind of awkward... but you can talk to me." I just shook my head. I looked into the distance to find that the Sabertusks had gone to sleep. I had hoped that maybe he'd give up and leave, but he stayed by my side. He tracks my gaze and I can tell he's even more worried than before. He slowly and hesitantly scoots closer to me. I notice him trying to wrap his arms around me, but he seems too scared to really do it, "Y-Y/N... please,"

I sigh, and finally give in, "I have nothing left. Nothing left to fight for."

He slowly dropped his arms. It was clear he wasn't sure how to comfort anyone, "Yea... I feel the same way," it falls silent for a moment, "But we still have Noct. We have him to fight for,"

I chuckled, "If you haven't noticed, the others clearly don't want me around..."

"Well, I do." He states this as if it were nothing. I looked him in the eyes, attempting to read what was going on in his head. He's such a shy, awkward coward. Yet there's something about him that's more serious and strong. He blushed slightly and looked away from me.

"Why..." I whimpered.

He looked back, "Why what?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I continued to watch him closely.

"Uh, well..." he started, "you're a part of the group now, and... uh" He scratched the back of his head nervously. 

I sighed, "You sure you guys really need me?" I asked dropping the subject, "I've lost my powers, and I've seen you fight. You guys don't need me."

"Don't be hard on yourself," he said gently, "You're awesome, Y/N. Of course we need you,"

I smiled slightly, "You know," I started, "You're a really sweet guy, Prompto."

He blushed even harder and began rambling, "What? No way! I'm just saying what anyone else would!"

I giggled. He smiles sweetly at me and hesitantly placed a hand on my leg, "Come on, we should sleep... do you still wanna sleep outside?"

I thought about it for a moment. It's a bit too chilly... and I do feel more comfortable with him..., "What if I slept in between you and the tent?"

His face was like a tomato at this point, "S-sure!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We found Monica, another servant of the Crownsguard, hidden in a small rock crevice not far from the stronghold blocking the road to Duscae. She has us split into two groups. Noct will join Cor to take out the Imperials inside, while the rest of us distract the enemy on the outside.

As we head towards the entrance Prompto stopped me.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked. I smiled, glad that he was so concerned for me.

"Yea. I may not have any magic, but I can still hold my own," he seemed happy to hear that.

Once we see the guards in front of the gate I let them all in on my plan.

"Alright, Ignis. Prompto. I need you to one shot as many of the MTs as you can. You only have one chance at this. When they start getting close I need Gladio to smack them down with his sword. After that we give it all we got." They all nodded in unison and the plan begins.

Ignis and Prompto get at least four guards down, all of which were shooters. Once all the axe man got close Gladio stunned them all with a killer blow. After that they were down in mere seconds.

Once were done the gate opened. We could see Noct and Cor emerge from the other side.

"Alright on your end?" Noct asked.

"Right as rain," Gladio responded, "The Niffs couldn't take their eyes off us."

"Well, well. If it isn't Cor the immortal!" We looked to see a Magitek engine lowering down in front of us. A loud voice speaks over a microphone.

"So, you survived the Citadel. But you won't survive what I have in stored for you. Its long past time your legend came to an end." The engine opened to reveal a huge machine. It stood up and stepped out onto the ground with us.

"Uh, got any ideas?" Prompto asked nervously.

"Try not to die," I responded.

The machine began firing shots at us. We all spit up to find cover. Gladio and I ducked behind a large rock nearby.

"How are we supposed to defeat that thing?" He yelled over the shots. When the firing stopped I looked up slightly to observe our enemy.

"Its legs look skinny and weak. We could have the others distract it, then you run in and knock it down with a sweep attack at its legs."

"After that?" He asked.

"We hope for the best." I pulled out my phone while still keeping an eye on the giant robot. I call Ignis and hope to God his phone doesn't make a loud noise.

"Y/N," he whispers. I inform him of the plan and after hanging up the phone I see one if his daggers fly at the machine. It turns in his direction and prepares to fire.

"Now!" I yell.

"Got it!" Gladio runs in and sweeps the robot off its feet. After that we all run in and hit it as hard as we can. Eventually, we hear the man from before shouting in defeat as oil pools at our feet.

"Run! She's gonna blow!" I yell. We all run towards the gate. Once it explodes it knocks all of us on our feet. Luckily, we didn't take too much damage.

Now with the road block gone, we may continue our journey and avenge our home and our people.


	7. Chapter 7

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I awoke to probably the worse noise ever created. An alarm. I laid there on the cold hard ground with my eyes still closed, not wanting to get up yet. After a few seconds I heard someone place something by my head and the noise grew louder than before. Finally, I groaned and sat up in defeat. Ignis had placed his phone between me and Prompto to wake us up. My back was killing me from sleeping on the ground. In Eos people camp on large flat rocks. Whose idea was it to do that?

Ignis seems to be uncomfortable and frustrated as well. His hair is slightly messy and his eyes look very sleepy. Instead of saying "good morning" he just nods. I nod back. Prompto tossed and turned but eventually sat up as well. He stretched and then began running his fingers through his blonde hair. I watched him as he did this. For the past few days I started to notice that some of the littlest and simplest things he did were attractive. It almost drove me crazy. 

It wasn't long until Gladio woke up too. He pulls himself up as if he were doing sit ups. He looks the most annoyed out of all of us, like he wants break Ignis' phone. After a while he broke the silence. "If only someone hadn't wrecked the car," he scoffs, "Unbelievable," Prompto looks unamused by this comment.

"Oh, I would hate to be that guy," his expression was then replaced by guilt as he slumped his shoulders. He sounded very sad, "Aw, don't be that way. You know I didn't mean to do it."

I rubbed his back in a comforting gesture, letting him know that not everyone was mad. Prompto had begged Ignis to let him drive and ended up crashing not far from an outpost in Duscae. That's why all of us were a little annoyed. We ended up having to call Cindy out here to fix it nearby. Although we did have a bit of money we didn't have enough to pay Cindy, so we had to make camp instead of staying in a hotel.

"Of course not," Ignis responds to Prompto's plea, "Sabotage is far beyond you," Ignis said sarcastically and coldly to shut him up. Prompto made a face like he had said something stupid and risky. We all looked at Noct who was still sound asleep at our feet. Ignis attempted to wake him like he had with the rest of us, but Noct simply turned to his side, facing away from all of us.

"It's futile," Ignis sighed as he shut the alarm off.

Gladio tried to nudge him gently and lightly smacked Noct's face, "Rise and shine, Princess." I was feeling quite annoyed that we had to do this almost every morning. Especially after some of the crap we've had to go through lately.

"Ugh!" I yelled. I lightly pushed Gladio out of my way as I exited the tent, "Move. I'll wake him up myself," I then grabbed Noct's feet and tried to drag him out as best as I could. He quickly kicked my hands and got out on his own. He looked extremely angry and held one hand to his back. The hard ground must have scratched him up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He yelled. His eyes were still glued shut and he swung at the air trying to hit me. I backed up as the others crawled out laughing hysterical. Even Ignis was enjoying this.

"Well quit being so difficult and I won't have to drag you out of bed!" I yelled back, "next time you'll be waking up soaking wet after I pour ice water on you!"

"Now I would love to see that," Gladio laughed.

"Shut up," Noct said in defeat.

Ignis looked up at the sky, shielding the light of the sun from his eyes with his hand, "Good day for walking," he said in an unusually happy voice. At least it was unusual for him, "Aren't we lucky?"

We began walking through the wetlands of Duscae in search of game. The bill for fixing the car was ridiculously high, and we didn't have much money. So, we've had to go hunting to make up the cash.

We had heard from a local tipster that there has been a behemoth, named Deadeye, wandering around causing trouble. The bounty was definitely high enough to pay off Cindy, but the fight would be a challenging one. There was a chance we could get killed, but without the Regalia we were as good as dead anyway. Well, even if the car hadn't broken down, we would probably still be doing this, since killing Deadeye would allow the Chocobo Post to let people ride the giant yellow birds once again. And Prompto seems to be in love with Chocobos.

The tipster had mentioned that hunters who managed to escape from the behemoth with their lives reported that Deadeye lived in a large den surrounded by rocks. We fought many creatures on the way to the location. Maybe we could get extra spending money and ingredients for Ignis's dishes.

As we walked I stayed by Prompto's side, stopping with him every now and then as he took pictures. I had been spending a lot of time with him recently. His happy and bubbly nature was nice and fun to be around. He seemed a little shy and uncomfortable around me at first, but he gradually began to warm up to me. Things haven't changed that much, but he doesn't stutter as much and sounds more confident when he talks. However, I haven't learned much about him. I know he's a photographer. I know he likes animals. I know he likes games. I know him and Noct have been best friends, but that's it. I had hoped to get closer to Prompto. I wanted to know what was behind that big smile he always wore.

As we got closer to the location on our map, we found some clues to lead us the rest of the way. We found many giant foot prints in the mud, and there were trails of splattered blood and debris from broken trees, rocks, and any other objects that were unfortunate enough to be in the way.

"Uh," Prompto starts anxiously, "m-maybe we should just raise the money some other way."

"Wuss," Gladio responded as he continued to follow the tracks.

"Don't you see what this thing has done?!" He yelled. Gladio scoffed and continued to walk away.

"Oh, we are so screwed," Prompto said sadly. The farther we went the more nervous I felt. If I still had my powers I'd probably feel much more confident, but right now I felt like our chances of surviving were slim. Prompto glanced at me for a moment and immediately noticed my worried expression, "Y/N?" He was really close to me, our arms almost brushing against each other, "You ok?" he whispered.

I looked down at our feet, "Y-Yea... I'm doing great!," I said. 

He placed a hand on my back and raised his eyebrows, giving me a gently look, "You sure?"

I loved how caring he was. It made it impossible to lie to him, "I'm just a little scared... that's all."

He chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll protect you. No one can defeat the mighty Prompto!" he cheered. 

Suddenly, we heard a loud crash and the ground rumbled beneath our feet. This caused Prompto's strong personality to shatter. He now looked more like a scared child. We all looked around in a panic and then saw a few tall trees collapse in the distance. Little did we realize that we were standing outside a large rock formation. This must be the behemoths den. Noct tried to walk ahead, but I grab him by the collar and pull him back.

"Hey!" I quickly give him a harsh glance and place a finger over my mouth, "what's the big idea?" He whispers.

"There's a good chance one of us could die here," I explained, "better it be one of us than you, Future King." We all carefully and quietly move through the area in front of Noct. Everything had been completely destroyed. Eventually we reached a blocked off area with a small space just big enough to crawl through. We could hear Deadeye was just on the other side of this blockade.

"I'll go first," Gladio whispered. He crawled through the tight space. Next was Ignis, me, Prompto, and then Noct.

We slowly crawled through until Gladio suddenly turned around and held out a hand, signaling us to stop. The crawl space had many openings along the side and top. We could see the huge beast through these openings. The behemoth had a scar over its right eye that forced it close.

Gladio closes his eye, holds a finger over it and mouths, "Deadeye. The name says it all,"

After waiting a few more seconds the behemoth begins eating something right outside of the crawl space. With his head down, we might be able to get through without him noticing. Gladio then motions his hand for us the come forward. I could hear Prompto whimpering behind me. I felt bad for him, but if he didn't stop we might be in trouble. Unexpectedly, Deadeye raises his head and turns in our direction. Gladio was just passing under a large opening, so he crawled quickly and turned around to stop us once he was covered again. The beast shoved his nose through the opening. It roared, growled, and sniffed around the opening. It's disgusting breath that filled the space reeked of blood. I closed my eyes tightly and held my breath, wanting to turn back. The structure we were in was very fragile, so at any moment this thing could step on the structure and kill us all.

Soon Deadeye lifted his head and walked away. I let out a deep breath and we continue through the rest of the crawl space. When we reached the end I turned around and helped Prompto out and mouthed, "Are you ok?" He had a slight look of fear mixed with shame as he nodded slightly, breath very shaky. We begin following the beast. Ignis tells us we need to follow it to its main home and then he will devise a plan.

Eventually we reached what looked like a building, long ruined. Deadeye then perched up a rock structure and fell asleep. We all hid behind some building blocks as Ignis walked us through the plan. Noct will wake the behemoth and lead it towards the rest of us. He'll warp out of danger before Deadeye gets too close. Gladio will then come out from behind and attack the beast by surprise. While its stunned Prompto will shoot a gas tank nearby causing an explosion. Noct will then finish it off with a warp strike.

"What about me?" I whispered.

"You'll stay up here with me. I would let you lure the enemy if you still had your powers, but-"

I interrupt him, "It's fine... I understand,"

We set the plan in motion and all goes well. After Prompto shot the gas tank Noct stabbed his blade into the beasts back and it fell limp. We all ran up to him cheering, until the behemoth awoke and threw Noct off its back.

"Your Highness!" Ignis yells as we all run to his side. He is sprawled out on the ground in pain. As Ignis helps him up the monster charges. Prompto screams and the rest of the boys freeze for a moment. I quickly take out a greatsword and swing at Deadeyes face as hard as I can. I manage to break off one of its horns. We all get ready to fight this thing the hard way. Luckily, it doesn't take long since we had already roughed it up pretty good.

After finishing it off Gladio and Noct cheer and start harvesting from the huge animal. I bend down and place my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Ignis picks up the behemoth horn I had broken off and inspects it.

"You truly are a tough and fearless woman." He said.

Prompto smiled sadly, "Yea... good job, Y/N."

I raised a brow at Prompto's strange behavior. I stood up straight and placed my arms behind my head, "Thanks," I panted.

After harvesting some parts to sell and cook we left the den and headed for the Chocobo Post. We wanted to let the owner, Wiz, know that it was safe for the giant birds once again. To thank us, he let us ride some Chocobos back to Cindy for free. We received our reward for the bounty and sold some monster parts to a shop owner nearby. When we payed Cindy the money I noticed something.

All of the guys looked like they were about to drool and they stole glances at the busty engineer's body, except Prompto. He didn't seem to notice certain parts of her at all. It was weird. I mean not that long ago he was practically starstruck by her. Why does he suddenly seem unfazed? I wasn't complaining because I had started to develop slight feelings for Prompto, but it didn't make any sense.

We got into the Regalia and Gladio requested that we head for Lestallum, where the Crownsguard took survivors from the attack on Insomnia. His little sister, Iris, was also taken there. As we drove I decided to sleep peacefully in the back seat.


	8. Chapter 8

We had just arrived in Lestallum to meet with Gladio's little sister, Iris. As I was about to enter the Leville, where she was waiting, I felt a hand land on my shoulder. The sudden impact made me jump slightly. I turned to find that the hand belonged to Noct. The others stopped so we could all hear what he had to say.

"Hey, Y/N, mind if I talk to you for a sec?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. The others walked in without question.

I stood there completely baffled as he walked towards the huge square fountain nearby. What's this all about? I walked towards him and he began talking as I sat at the edge of the calming pool of water.

"Soooooooooo... what's up with you and Prompto?" He asked, arms crossed. I could feel him staring down at me.

I raised an eyebrow at me, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing!" he said, "You two just seem... close." He had a strange grin on his face as he spoke.

I chuckled. I could see where he was going with this, "So what if we are?"

"Do you like him?" He asked.

I didn't know how to respond at first, "Why do you ask?" I felt like I was being interrogated.

"Because he obviously likes you. I wanted to know if you felt the same about him," he answered.

I laughed, "What makes you think he likes me?" I turn my head away from him in slight embarrassment.

"Oh come on, Y/N. You can't be that oblivious. Prompto is so obvious,"

I smiled lightly as I thought of Prompto, "Yea..." I said dreamily, "He really is..."

Noct scoffed jokingly, "Don't get all sappy now. You'll make me puke."

I lightly shoved him, "Oh shut up." 

He chuckled, "If you like him that much then why don't you go out with him?"

My face fell and I shook my head, "We have a job to do. Can't let ourselves get distracted."

"So? You two barely concentrate now. You're always talking and staring at each other." I blushed but didn't say anything. He sighed, "Whatever, just don't lead him on too much, ok?"

I stood up quickly, "Never! I wouldn't do that to him," 

He smiled, "Good." We finally headed inside the hotel and found the guys talking to a short, cute girl. I assumed she was Gladio's sister. She was smiling brightly as Noct and I entered, "Noct! There you are!" She started running towards him, but stopped when she saw me, "Gladdy, do you guys know her?" I held back a laugh.

"Gladdy, huh?" I teased.

He glares at me and sighs, "This is Y/N. She's a Glaive and new retainer for Noct." he introduced.

"Oh, well in that case, it's good to meet you, Y/N! I'm Gladdy's sister, Iris," she shook my hand with both of her's and smiled.

I smiled back, "I didn't know you had such a nice sister, Gladdy," Iris laughed and Gladio just looked like he was trying not to strangle me.

"Don't you start with me," he warned.

The boys buy the two rooms while Gladio introduces us all to their family butler, Jared, and his grandson, Talcott. We all group up in the boys' room, where Iris informs us that while the city took a real beating there were many survivors. This also included Lunafreya. Noct looked like he was feeling much better now that he knew his beloved was safe. It was as if all the stress had been lifted off his shoulders. It was already getting late by the time we reached Lestallum, so Iris and I headed for bed after talking with the boys for just a few more minutes.

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I awoke early the next morning from the rays of the sun hitting my face. I had nothing to do, so I got ready and walked downstairs to the lobby. I found everyone awake except Noct.

"Good morning, Y/N!" Prompto greeted. I was still to groggy to give a proper good morning so I gave a small wave while trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. "Do you wanna check out the town with me?" Prompto suggested excitedly, "I want to take as many photos as I can."

I yawned and stretched my arms up high, "Okay. You sure are an avid photographer, Prompto."

We all began exiting the hotel until Gladio stopped us.

"Why don't you two have fun? I'd rather eat then take pictures," He offered.

"And I'd rather shop for supplies, "Ignis added.

"Alright. Meet us back at the Leville in about an hour?" I asked.

"Hour and half." Gladio argued, "You two should probably eat too." 

I nodded then turned to the blonde man, "Where do you wanna go first?" I asked.

"Let's go to the outlook. We can get some amazing pictures there,"

We walked closely together, almost brushing against each other. The sun rise was still raising when we reached the outlook. It was like that first morning all over again. Prompto directed me as he took photos of me. He seemed so at peace and so inspired. It made me smile that I could empower him this much. 

I chuckled after awhile, "Don't just take pictures of me," 

He lowered his camera slightly, "What do you mean?"

I reached my hand out for the camera and he gave it to me. I then quickly pulled him closer to me with one arm around his shoulder, "Say cheese!" I snapped the photo and brought it down for us to look at. I chuckled. He looked shocked in the photo. 

"Hey! No fair! I wasn't ready!" He pulled the camera out of my hand, "Redo,"

He wrapped his arm around me this time and held up the camera. I smiled as he snapped the photo. Without removing his arm he brought the camera down and looked at it, "See. That's better!" We were both smiling in the picture. We almost looked like a real couple. 

"You look so handsome, Prompto." He looked at me with slight shock. We stared at each other for a moment, his arm still around me.

He laughed nervously, "W-what? No way!" He let go of me and began flipping through his photos. He said nothing at first, "Uh... I think I have enough photos for now. Let's go find a place to eat!" He walked away quickly and I just stared at him in confusion. Did I say something wrong?

Prompto... what did I do?"


End file.
